Demeco: get on my back and let's ride it to the playoffs

[Porky]

Good article about our man in the middle. Some good quotes:

"Knowing the person that DeMeco is, I know his play is definitely going to pick up," linebackers coach Johnny Holland said. "Last year was a learning year for him and he played off a lot of his natural instincts and athletic ability. The second time around I expect him to make more big plays and start out a lot faster than he did last year. I'm excited to see where he can go with this."

"He should know the call we want and be able to run the defense," Holland said. "He's headed in that direction. I'm looking forward to how far he can go."

"I'd like to see DeMeco make more big plays," Holland said. "Make more interceptions. We need some sacks, caused fumbles and touchdowns."

Ryans said he doesn't set individual goals, instead focusing on how his performance can help the team. He hopes the Texans can reach the playoffs for the first time this year.

"I think I can do a better job of communicating with the guys, knowing that I'm the guy in the middle," he said. "Guys are going to look up to me. I want to be a leader by example."

And my favorite quote - "(I'm) telling the guys to get on my back and let's ride it to the playoffs," he said.



Entire article here.

[Double Barrel]

It's crazy for a team that has never had a winning season to be talking playoffs....but I like the attitude behind it.

DeMeco should be a huge part of our defense for years to come. And I expect him to be one of the 'faces of the franchise' soon, both because of his awesome talent and cool demeanor.

[Kaiser Toro]

And my favorite quote - "(I'm) telling the guys to get on my back and let's ride it to the playoffs," he said.

Addition through subtraction in the Leadership column. No more fist waving, but rather players sticking their necks out and wanting to be accountable.

[awtysst]

Originally Posted by Double Barrel

It's crazy for a team that has never had a winning season to be talking playoffs....but I like the attitude behind it.

DeMeco should be a huge part of our defense for years to come. And I expect him to be one of the 'faces of the franchise' soon, both because of his awesome talent and cool demeanor.

I don't know DB, I like the playoff talk. When Capers was here he always talked about marginal improvement and that didnt get us anywhere. I like this new attitude becuase it says we believe we are good enough to make the playoffs. If you believe you are good enough, you might make it whereas if you don;t believe it you have absolutly no chance. To quote one of my best friends, "I believe".

[Double Barrel]

Oh, don't get me wrong, awtysst, I like the attitude of setting playoff goals, too. But it's crazy talk, no matter how we slice and dice it. I tend to enjoy the crazier side of things, so I welcome the perspective that they are taking, which is a direct influence of the head coach.

However, it can backfire, as well. Fans start believing, and there is potential to set ourselves up with unrealistic expectations. As much as I'm stoked about Schaub, he's still 100% unproven. And as much as I think our previous QB was a big part of the problem, our o-line still has to gel into a cohesive unit and show that they can consistently protect the pocket and open up a running game.

I think our defense will be our saving grace, though. If we remove the stats from the first six games (where they were the worst unit in the NFL), they rank top 10 for the last ten games of the season. Now we have a second year DeMeco, who relishes his leadership role, a healthy Mario (hopefully with a huge chip on his shoulder), and an overall plan with our d-line to dominate.

Time will tell if Kubiak is a crazy-man or if he is the prophet leading us to the promised land.

[TexanSam]

It's scary thinking how good DeMeco is going to be.

[Leahmic223]

I love the playoff talk by the players. That is what they SHOULD be thinking.

They should go out there every sunday, and KNOW they are the better team.

It's like they told VY, "A rookie QB cannot lead his team to the playoffs." and VY said "Why not?" I mean, just missed it by a game.

Look at the Saints of course.

But if you have the whole locker room believing that they can beat ANY team come Sunday, you will see more effort, and sometimes that extra effort makes all the difference.

Hopefully this is confidence and not being cocky. Our past teams never had confidence, and I think we have gained some confidence last year.

Originally Posted by Leahmic223

I love the playoff talk by the players. That is what they SHOULD be thinking.

They should go out there every sunday, and KNOW they are the better team.

It's like they told VY, "A rookie QB cannot lead his team to the playoffs." and VY said "Why not?" I mean, just missed it by a game.

Look at the Saints of course.

But if you have the whole locker room believing that they can beat ANY team come Sunday, you will see more effort, and sometimes that extra effort makes all the difference.

Hopefully this is confidence and not being cocky. Our past teams never had confidence, and I think we have gained some confidence last year.

I think it has to be confidence, because we have nothing to be cocky about. And in the famous words of Madden " Half the game is 90% mental "

[Mr teX]

(Hops on Demeco's back)............................ Mr. teX, present & accounted for..

[valleytexfan]

This is exactly the stuff I like to hear....

[Matt]

I love this. I don't buy the idea that talking playoffs is crazy in the least. You are talking about a sport that, by its very nature, keeps teams bunched in the standings and in a league that promotes parity even more.

So, when they were a few bounces away from being .500 last year, shooting for .500 would not really be much of a motivator. Why not shoot for what really matters?

[TK_Gamer]

I think he will do extremely well this year, I'm not even worried about his tackle numbers. I'm more interested in him making "key" plays when we need it, and he should turn the corner this year and be more like a smart-bomb than a tornado like he was last year. then when you think about the combination of him and Mario and Okoye and it gets really exciting. I can't Wait!

[Goldensilence]

If we can get consistant pressure with our front four this year. Should be a lot of fun to watch this defense. We'll havet ohave some players on boht sides step up. But i have no doubt that DeMeco will be one of them.

I told a friend last night something i've never said before. I'm excited about TC. I'm usually ready for preseason to get going but hell i'm excited about TC.

[NitroGSXR]

DeMeco is definitely one of the superstars on the team but I just don't think he will have the same type of season he did for several reasons.

Mario's foot should be better and logically he should take away plays from DeMeco, breaking up passing plays as well as stopping the run before it reaches DeMeco.

Amobi alone just put fear through NFL offensive lines and will supplement Mario's performance in a big way.

The infamous 'sophomore slump.' I hate to say it. Believe me, I do but it IS a phenom that just strikes more than it misses. Is it an actual slump? No, I don't think so. I think it's more of the other end now knowing what that person can do and adjusting to him. How will DeMeco respond to that adjustment? That's the big question.

Now, I loved reading that DeMeco was allowed to call plays. That's something that you can't teach. It has to be instinctive and DeMeco's definitely got it! Our MLB should be the man calling the plays.

I'm certainly hoping that my worries will be put to rest and our defensive unit anchors the NFL's dream team.

One more thing, setting the playoffs as a goal is just the way to approach this. Farfetched or not. That's the attitude one needs. I can only hope that he doesn't end up being discouraged early on. It happens.

Originally Posted by NitroHonda

DeMeco is definitely one of the superstars on the team but I just don't think he will have the same type of season he did for several reasons.

Mario's foot should be better and logically he should take away plays from DeMeco, breaking up passing plays as well as stopping the run before it reaches DeMeco.

Amobi alone just put fear through NFL offensive lines and will supplement Mario's performance in a big way.

The infamous 'sophomore slump.' I hate to say it. Believe me, I do but it IS a phenom that just strikes more than it misses. Is it an actual slump? No, I don't think so. I think it's more of the other end now knowing what that person can do and adjusting to him. How will DeMeco respond to that adjustment? That's the big question.

Now, I loved reading that DeMeco was allowed to call plays. That's something that you can't teach. It has to be instinctive and DeMeco's definitely got it! Our MLB should be the man calling the plays.

I'm certainly hoping that my worries will be put to rest and our defensive unit anchors the NFL's dream team.

One more thing, setting the playoffs as a goal is just the way to approach this. Farfetched or not. That's the attitude one needs. I can only hope that he doesn't end up being discouraged early on. It happens.

I don't see a sophmore slump out of Demeco...He's a ball player...period...

As far as others taking away tackles...

I don't know if that will be true either...But tackles don't amount to making plays....

I think Demeco will make more plays (int's, FF, Sacks) than he did last year...I think he makes more tackles in the backfield also....

I really don't see a slump out of Demeco, but ofcourse anything can happen....

[NitroGSXR]

Originally Posted by xtruroyaltyx

I don't see a sophmore slump out of Demeco...He's a ball player...period...

As far as others taking away tackles...

I don't know if that will be true either...But tackles don't amount to making plays....

I think Demeco will make more plays (int's, FF, Sacks) than he did last year...I think he makes more tackles in the backfield also....

I really don't see a slump out of Demeco, but ofcourse anything can happen....

The reason I pointed out tackles is because the article appeared to hinge on DeMeco's big numbers. I mean he led the NFL in solo tackles. I'd think it's something that we'd need to watch.

Similar to Dunta teetering off on his interceptions after his big eye-catching rookie year. I'm not saying that Dunta has dropped off but rather saying that his numbers dropped significantly. I think I understand why too. Because we have nobody on the other end of the CB corps. I guess I'm trying to say that Dunta was amazing stat-wise his rookie year and he still is but his stats have not indicated that over the last two years. Dunta is a playmaker just as much as DeMeco.

I hope I made some sense here.